


Fruits of Victory

by Cyphomandra



Category: Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: F/F, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Replicators, fun with technology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:06:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25379605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyphomandra/pseuds/Cyphomandra
Summary: Officers Chapel and Uhura conduct a series of vital scientific experiments.
Relationships: Christine Chapel/Nyota Uhura
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13
Collections: Eat Drink and Make Merry 2020





	Fruits of Victory

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IdMonster](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdMonster/gifts).



> Thanks to my heroic unnamed betas! And to Memory Alpha and Beta, the Star Trek wikis, which I have ransacked for suitable names (although there are a few rogue ones in there).

"Are we supposed to be in here?" Christine hissed, when Nyota, finger to her lips, pulled her down the space station corridor and through a door marked with an alarming number of security warnings. 

Nyota waved the door shut. "I feel it would be prudent to make sure the crew haven't damaged anything during the evacuation." 

The Federation observatory that had orbited Temu 3 through the final stages of that star’s collapse had now been decommissioned, and the Enterprise was there to collect some of the crew and their equipment, a process made slightly more complicated by a delay to the research vessel picking up the remainder that meant reprioritising and reorganizing everything. Christine had been wearily packing up the last few contents of the station's small medical bay when Nyota had swooped in and said that Christine had done more than enough for a break.

Christine had been looking forward to more time alone with her girlfriend, but she had to admit the setting was uninspiring. A square grey room, mostly bare; a high bench and chairs were pulled up in front of something that looked like a replicator, if one significantly more fancy than the Enterprise's, and the walls were lined with metal shelving, empty except for scraps of packing material. "Very romantic."

Nyota shot her a glare, but there was no heat in it. "It's a quantum grade replicator," she said. "We're leaving it, so now's your chance to try it. And I know you won't have taken the time to eat."

Christine hadn't, actually, but she wasn't sure why Nyota was so keen on trying out this replicator. "Doctor McCoy says no replicator can get food to taste exactly right.”

Nyota nudged her forward. "The Enterprise’s replicator is perfectly adequate. But delicate flavours - fresh fruit, especially - are never quite the same.”

Christine snorted suddenly. “The closest Leonard gets to fresh fruit are the lemon slices in his whiskey.” She stopped resisting Nyota’s persuasion and put a hand on the controls. When had she last had fresh fruit that was grown, not made?

A few seconds later she had a handful of cloudberries, small clumps of sunset gold, and the first bite was like being a child at her grandmother’s, squabbling with her siblings over who had the most or the largest.

Nyota leaned over. “Are those Betazed Uttarberries?” Her fingers hovered over the bowl.

“They’re from Earth,” Christine answered, and then, still thinking of siblings, “No points for you.”

Nyota surveyed her. “I think we could do better than points.” Her voice was warm and intimate, and her eyes were dark with intensity.

Two could certainly play at that game. Christine picked up a cloudberry and held it out between thumb and forefinger. "Maybe you need some help." Her gaze caught on the scarf Nyota wore knotted around her neck. "Or maybe we should make this a bit more challenging."

***

Christine swallowed. An astringent aftertaste, just the right contrast to the melting sweetness of the fruit. It was teasingly familiar.

“Another bite?”

Christine scrunched up her face in concentration behind the scarf they were using as a blindfold, hoping for a final flash of insight, then gave in. “One more.”

She focused as Nyota held the slice up to her mouth, her fingers warm against Christine’s skin. The rind of the fruit was firm against her teeth - until it yielded with a burst of nectar. Well-balanced, she thought, and then she had it.

“Gespar. From Vulcan.”

Nyota clapped twice, lightly. “Very good.”

“I should have known.” Christine pushed off the blindfold, letting it drop to the bench between them next to the plates and the fruit knife, and reached for the glass of Saurian brandy to take her penalty sip. She'd been two glasses down before Nyota had relented and given her something easier, and she took a slightly larger sip than she’d planned. She could feel her cheeks flush in its wake.

Nyota gave Christine an amused wink as she pulled the blindfold back into place. Nyota had kicked her boots off earlier, and now she stretched out one of her long bare legs. The tip of one elegant toe - the nail a gleaming red - made contact briefly with Christine's own shin, as if by accident.

Beautiful. And distracting. Christine swallowed again - no nectar, this time - and firmly turned back to the replicator controls.

Nyota was waiting. Christine could see one eyebrow arched above the blindfold in enquiry. 

She tapped on the control pad. The Andorian uavhg was intensely blue, a giveaway under normal circumstances, and very thick-skinned. Christine cut a wedge with some difficulty. “Here.”

Nyota’s lips parted and her teeth bit into the grainy flesh. The uavhg’s perfume matched its colour in intensity, heady and honeyed, and Nyota nostrils flared. Christine watched the line of Nyota’s throat move up and down as she swallowed.

“It’s - oh, I give up.”

The scent of the uavhg clung to Christine’s fingertips. Nyota hadn’t identified the cloudberry, but after that she’d gotten moba, osol, jumja and tamarillo, while Christine had only managed Enolian spiceberries without a forfeit. 

“You don’t want to try some more?” 

Nyota shook her head solemnly. 

Christine eyed her suspiciously. “You could just ask for a drink.”

Nyota’s mouth curved up. “I could,” she agreed. “All right. Uavhg.”

Christine snatched the bottle from Nyota’s reaching fingers. “Not for you!” 

"But you said!" Nyota was laughing even as she tried to pout in disappointment. She put one hand up to the blindfold. 

"Wait." Christine swivelled around to the replicator, thankful that it also had a synthehol override. "Sip this. I'll hold it for you." It took a bit of manoeuvring; Nyota put one hand up to clasp Christine's wrist, and seemed all too happy to lean into her arm as Christine steadied the glass.

"Oh." Nyota licked an errant drop off her lips. "Very nice. You've kept to the colour theme."

Christine had indeed selected sapphire wine. She shook her head ruefully. 'You are good." 

Nyota held out the blindfold and took the glass in exchange, draining the last of the wine. "My misspent youth." She tipped her head to one side, smiling at Christine. "Fruit? Or another drink?"

Christine could see what a teenage Nyota must have been like, charming and outrageous all at once. It was still there behind the professional competence that was equally part of her. 

"Fruit." She would end up with another drink anyway. Probably. "I do love you," she added, into the darkness of the blindfold.

She could hear Nyota shift, and then she was there, her body barely inches away from Christine's. Her hand stroked along Christine's jawline and tilted it up.

"I love you, too." Nyota fed her half a dozen cloudberries, each one perfectly ripe, and then kissed her open-mouthed. It was as sweet and tangy as the berries, tinged with sapphire wine.

"I know this one," Christine murmured, when Nyota drew back for a breath. "Earth origin, although now interstellar. Very special. Intoxicating. Not from a replicator, though; irreproducible."

Nyota chuckled. "Don't tell the doctor." She reached out to unfasten the blindfold.

Christine's mouth was already back on Nyota’s neck, moving downwards, but she hummed agreement. No need to make him think he might actually be right about anything. And after all, her own investigations were more important.

"I do need to do some extensive sampling," she said. "Hard to generalise from just one taste." 

Nyota arched as Christine licked at one of her nipples then bit down gently. When she managed to speak, her voice was husky.  
"I've always admired your thoroughness."

Christine was more than happy to take that as a challenge.

THE END


End file.
